Fintech / Digital Currencies

Thanks to explosive growth of financial technologies, a sea change has arrived for financial services. In a world of algorithms, automation, and blockchain, there is no doubt that finance in the 21st century will be unlike anything we’ve quite seen before.

How do you evaluate blockchain business models? Start by understanding the technology’s limitations. Founders of the MIT Cryptoeconomics Lab, Catherine Tucker and Christian Catalini, dig into the last-mile problem that blockchain applications tend to find themselves up against.

Think of blockchain in its current state as a "version 1.0" with more versions to come. Professor Ramana Nanda encourages companies to take a long game strategy when weighing the potential of blockchain technology. Meaningful and enduring development takes time, and we’re only in the early stages.

Fintech is booming and everyone wants in. The catch? Fintech startups in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region continue to face four obstacles: funding, visibility, customer education, and trust. FinTech Hive, the largest accelerator in the region, is here to help.

India is undergoing a “digital revolution." But not everyone is along for the ride. Research from Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and IDEO.org explores how human-centered design can move the needle on digital products and services reaching overlooked populations.

Just getting started learning about blockchain? This primer from DI professor, Karim Lakhani is the place to start. In this HBR Whiteboard Session, Professor Lakhani explains how the blockchain works and why we should care. Finally, Lakhani provides a brief roadmap for leaders looking to implement the promising technology within their own organizations.

With a finance empire spanning mobile/online payments, wealth management, digital-first banking, credit scoring, and yes, cryptocurrencies, Ant Financial is one of the most influential fintech companies in the world. This case from DI professor Feng Zhu on how Ant Financial has managed its growth strategy is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the current state of fintech innovation today.

Cryptocurrency certainly has its appeal. The lack of middle men or local regulatory bodies make it an efficient transaction method, and many in the finance industry now see digital currencies as the natural and unavoidable future. But is the new technology worth the hype? Professor emeritus James Haskett takes a look back at the meteoric rise of another trend in finance – hedge funds – and determines that the answer is ‘maybe’.

In a way, 2017 was the year of the ICO. 2017 saw over 700 initial coin offerings will almost $5 billion raised according to ICO Data (compared with less than $1 billion in 2016). It is no surprise then that this fundraising phenomenon has left the finance world and VC firms in particular with a lot to talk about. This article from Harvard Business Review highlights some of the advantages and disadvantages of this disruptive new fundraising tactic.

New tech-heavy financial firms are helping millennials invest, but with a twist. They are swapping out investment advisers for financial robots, and passing along the savings. Luis Viceira explains the rise of “fintech” in a new case study.

Blockchain is one of a handful of technologies poised to transform a multitude of industries, and yet its promise remains relatively unrealized. However, HBS alumnus Yezi Peng (MBA 2017) thinks that the blockchain platform Ethereum might just have the power to usher blockchain into widespread usage.